International Journal of Horticulture, 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 51-60 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 53 Table 1 Detailed descriptions of treatments and chemical solutions applied in the experiment SN Treatment Treatment details 1 T1 0.1% gibberellic acid (Dipped in 0.1% GA3 for 20 mins) 2 T2 0.2% gibberellic acid (Dipped in 0.2% GA3 for 20 mins) 3 T3 0.3% gibberellic acid (Dipped in 0.3% GA3 for 20 mins) 4 T4 0.5% calcium chloride (Dipped in 0.5% CaCl2 for 20 mins) 5 T5 1% calcium chloride (Dipped in 1% CaCl2 for 20 mins) 6 T6 1.5% calcium chloride (Dipped in 1.5% CaCl2 for 20 mins) 7 T7 0.1 mM salicylic acid (Dipped in 0.1 mM SA for 20 mins) 8 T8 0.2 mM salicylic acid (Dipped in 0.2 mM SA for 20 mins) 9 T9 0.3 mM salicylic acid (Dipped in 0.3 mM SA for 20 mins) 10 T10 Control (Dipped in distilled water for 20 mins) 2.3 Parameters observed 2.3.1 Total soluble solids (TSS) Determination of TSS which is the total soluble solid present in the unit volume of solution was carried out using a handheld Refractometer. A drop of the blended tomato juice sample was placed on the prism and the percentage of dry substances in it was read directly. The TSS value thus obtained is expressed in º Brix. 2.3.2 Titratable acidity and sugar acid ratio The juice from the sample was extracted and filtered. After, the dilution of the extract i.e., 10 mL juice mixed with 100 mL of distilled water aliquot was formed. Three drops of phenolphthalein indicator were added to 25 mL of the aliquot. Titration was conducted using 0.1 N NaOH alkali solution until the pink endpoint was reached and persisted for 30 seconds. The quantity of alkali consumed was recorded for 3-4 readings. The volume of alkali consumed was measured by subtracting the initial reading from the final reading. Furthermore, the following formulae were used for the calculation of percentage acidity and the sugar-acid ratio: 2.3.3 pH pH was determined using a digital pH meter. The juice was extracted from the experimental sample and filtered to remove solid particles. Then, pH meter probe was immersed into the extracted juice and kept stable for two minutes to ensure an accurate reading. To enhance the reliability of the measurement, the instrument was calibrated using standard buffer solutions before the measurement and cleaned it after each use to prevent cross-contamination. The final reading was recorded as the pH value of the sample, which was used for further analysis of its changes over storage time and under different treatments. 2.3.4 Ascorbic acid Ascorbic acid or vitamin C can be determined by the redox titration method. In this method, dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) was used as a dye for titration of the centrifuged sample until the sample changed its color to pink. The ascorbic acid measurement was calculated using the formula below (Ranganna, 2015).
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